Multiple MyelomaMultiple Myeloma is a form of cancer which affects the plasma cells of the body, which are white blood cells. Multiple Myeloma, first described in 1848, is a disease “characterized by a proliferation of malignant plasma cells and a subsequent overabundance of monoclonal paraprotein.” To understand how Multiple Myeloma affects an infected person’s plasma cells, it helps to have a general understanding of how normal blood cells are formed and how they act. Most blood cells develop from stem cells, which can be found in bone marrow (soft material inside our bones – the “filling”). Stem cells mature into white blood cells, red blood cells, or platelets.2 The purpose of white blood cells is to fight off infection, while red blood cells carry oxygen and platelets aid in blood clotting, which controls bleeding. Plasma cells make antibodies, which are parts of the immune system and help the body protect itself from germs and other harmful substances (Exhibit 1).2

Myeloma begins when a plasma cell begins dividing uncontrollably, which sets off a chain reaction of abnormal cell divisions. These abnormal plasma cells are called myeloma cells. Eventually, there is a large buildup of myeloma cells in the bone marrow, potentially damaging the outer, solid part of the bone. The reason the disease is called multiple myeloma because it usually affects several bones in any given infected person. The myeloma cells, instead of creating the normal antibodies, create M proteins, which can collect in the urine, blood, or even in organs as blood spreads it throughout the body (Exhibit 2).2

Whether or not Multiple Myeloma has genetics roots which are traceable is still up for debate, but there isn’t much evidence to suggest that there is a genetic component in multiple myeloma diagnoses. A research study done by the Centre for Haematological Oncology at The General Infirmary at Leeds in England looked at 23 patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The test showed that of those, only 1 patient (3.2%) had a detected p53 mutation. P53 is a tumor suppressor gene, meaning its purpose is to stop the formation of tumors by regulating the cell cycle (Exhibit 3). While there are instances where a child inherits only one functional p53 gene from their parents (known as Li-Fraumeni syndrome), this is a very rare instance and the more common form of p53 deficiencies is the mutation of the p53 gene. More than 50% of all adult cancers involve a mutated p53 gene; however, as shown above, multiple myeloma normally does not involve a mutated p53 gene. There some risk factors involved with multiple myeloma that increase one’s chances of being diagnosed, which are discussed in the subsequent section, along with multiple myeloma case data.

While there are several risk factors for multiple myeloma, it is generally unknown as to why a particular person develops multiple myeloma.3 The first risk factor for multiple myeloma is age – most people diagnosed with multiple myeloma are over 65, and the disease is very rare amongst people younger than 40. 3 Another risk factor is race – the risk of multiple myeloma is highest for those of African descent, and lowest amongst those of Asian descent. The disease is significantly more common in men than in women – each year, approximately 11,200 men are diagnosed with multiple myeloma, as opposed to 8,700 women. The reason for the race and gender risk factors of multiple myeloma, however, is unknown.3 While there is no consistent statistical data, it is widely accepted amongst doctors that family history, especially of a 1st level relative (parents, siblings), is a risk factor for multiple myeloma. Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is “a benign condition in which abnormal plasma cells make M proteins.”3 There are usually no symptoms, but it has been found that there is an increase in probability of someone being diagnosed with multiple myeloma if there have...

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...MultiplemyelomaMultiplemyeloma (also plasma cell myeloma also known as MM, myeloma, plasma cell myeloma, or as Kahler's disease) is a progressive hematologic (blood) disease. It is a cancer of the plasma cell, an important part of the immune system that produces immunoglobulins (antibodies) to help fight infection and disease.
The immune system is made up of several types of cells that work together to fight infections. Lymph cells (called lymphocytes) are the main type of cell in the adaptive immune system. There are 2 types of lymph cells: T cells and B cells. When B cells respond to an infection, they change into plasma cells. The plasma cells are found mainly in the bone marrow—the soft, inner part of some bones. The plasma cells make proteins called antibodies that attack and help kill germs. When plasma cells grow out of control, they can form a tumor, usually in the bone marrow. This type of tumor is called a myeloma, and if there are many tumors they are called multiplemyeloma. If there is only one tumor, it is called solitary plasmacytoma. In many cases, this single tumor will go on to become multiplemyeloma. Multiplemyeloma is characterized by excessive numbers of abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow and overproduction of intact monoclonal immunoglobulin...

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What Is Plasmacytoma and MultipleMyeloma
ENC1102 WK 3
February 2, 2013
What is plasmacytoma and multiplemyeloma? Plasmacytoma is a cancer where abnormal plasma cells called myeloma cells form a tumor in the bone. Multiplemyeloma is when you have more than one tumor. Multiplemyeloma is a rare and life-threatening cancer of the bone marrow. When my husband was diagnosed with plasmacytoma in February of 2011, we were told that multiplemyeloma was not hereditary, and his mother passed from multiplemyeloma in 2005. After much research I have found out that there is a four times greater chance of getting it if a parent or sibling has had multiplemyeloma. However, this has only been found in a small number of cases.
Plasmacytoma comes from a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Normal white blood cells grow and produces antibodies to help fight off infections. These cells normally grow old, die, and new cells take their place. However when the old cells do not die they form a mass or a tumor. These abnormal cells called myeloma cells form in the bone marrow. The bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside the bones. Bones that are rich in marrow are the breastbone, spine, ribs, skull, pelvic bones, and the long...

...The multiple realizability thesis says that there is more than one way to create a specific mental experience. An alternative way to state this is to say that widely different physical systems can have the same mental experience. The implied consequence is that it is the function of the physical system that is causal to the mental experience, an idea I will refer to as functionalism. Historically, the concept of multiple realizability facilitated the move from identity theory to functionalism. Functionalism is more abstract than the identity theory and can therefore accommodate different physical entities causing the same mental experience.
Examples used to illustrate the claims made by the multiple realizability thesis differ in the level at which the systems differ. At the most fine grained level one may argue that replacing all the Carbon atoms with Silicone atoms in your brain will not alter the function of your brain and, consequently, your mental experiences with a Silicone brain would be the same as with your current Carbon brain. At a higher organizational level, each neuron could be replaced by an electrical device that performs the same function the neuron performs. These electrical devices would be connected to each other in the same way your neurons are currently connected to each other and therefore perform the same function - including producing a mental world. It is only one step further to replace the electrical...

...Thesis Statement
Multiple Sclerosis is mainly an inflammatory disorder of the brain and spinal cord in which central lymphocytic permeation leads to harm of the myelin scabbard and axons. Initially, inflammation is temporary and re-myelination occurs but is not long-lasting. Hence, the early course of disease is characterized by occurrences of neurological dysfunction that usually recover. However, over time the pathological alterations start to take over by widespread microglia activation associated with broad and constant neuro-degeneration, the clinical correlate of which is progressive growth of disability. Para-clinical investigations show abnormalities that specify the distribution of inflammatory lesions and axonal loss (MRI); hindrance of transmission in previously myelinated pathways (evoked electrophysiological potentials); and intrathecal combination of oligoclonal antibody (examination by lumbar puncture of the cerebral fluid). Multiple sclerosis is triggered by ecological dynamics in individuals with multifarious genetic-risk profiles. Licensed disease modifying agents lessen the rate of recurrence of new episodes, but do not repeal fixed insufficiencies and have questionable outcomes on the long-term accumulation of disability and disease development. They foresee that future studies in Multiple sclerosis will provide a new classification on the center of mechanisms rather than clinical empiricism, and so...

...Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, progressive neurological disease affecting all aspects of life: physical, cognitive, emotional, and social (Abma). It is known as an autoimmune disease, Where the body’s immune system turns against the body and destroys the protective covering that surrounds nerve cells. This damage to the nerve cells causes many problems for the patient including weakness, muscle stiffness, poor coordination and balance, tingling, numbness, tremors, blurred vision, slurred speech, and memory and concentration problems (Bren)
There are three different versions of multiple sclerosis (“What is MS?”). The least severe being relapsing-remitting; this occurs when a person has an attack and then there are no further symptoms until there is a relapse or another flare up of the disease (Bren). The next kind is called primary progressive; this is where the disease and the symptoms just worsen with time, each attack building on the previous (Bren). The final type is secondary progressive and this is a combination of relapsing-remitting first which eventually will become progressive (Bren).
There is an organization where people can get help for their multiple sclerosis, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It was founded in 1946 by Sylvia Lawry and has over 135 chapters throughout the United States (Bartlett). The National Multiple Sclerosis Society funds many programs for people...

...Dietitians and Multiple Sclerosis
Ryan Herndon
Kaplan University
Professor Seeman
June 26, 2012
Multiple Sclerosis (M.S.) is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord
(PubMed Health, 2012). Approximately 250,000 to 350,000 people have been diagnosed with
M.S. in the United States (Schoenstadt, 2006). Every week, 200 new people are diagnosed with
M.S. in our country (National MS Society, n.d.). M.S. can affect each person differently.
Damage to the myelin in the Central Nervous System and nerve fibers disturb the signals sent
between the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body causing the primary symptoms of
Multiple Sclerosis (National MS Society, n.d.)Symptoms can come and go without any warning.
An idea on how to help people suffering from M.S. is to have a dietitian either come to an M.S.
housing building or support group, and introduce a healthy, nutritious diet that will help decrease
the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. There are many diets out there that can help reduce
symptoms and weight. Using a dietitian to introduce a healthy diet to those with M.S. can be
very beneficial because it can decrease their pain and exacerbations, and improve the quality of
their lives.
There are four different types of M.S. that people can have. They are relapsing-
remitting (RRMS), secondary progressive (SPMS), primary progressive (PPMS) and
progressive-relapsing...

...﻿Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder in the central nervous system that, effecting young adults, leading to non-traumatic disabilities. This disease starts as an auto-immune disease in which CD4 T cells cross the blood brain barrier and attack myelin sheaths of olygodendrocytes resulting in demyelination (Gandhi et al., 2010; Lund et al., 2013). Initially this is a transient process and re-myelination occurs, so initial stage of the disease is characterized by neurological dysfunctions that eventually recover. However this re-myelination is not permanent (Compston and Coles, 2008; Wakerley et al., 2012). The continuous immune attacks cause serious pathological changes of myelin sheaths hence disease progression and development of serious disabilities . (Makris et al., 2013; Wakerley et al., 2012; Hafler, 2004; Nylander and Hafler, 2012; Eshaghi et al., 2013). Peak age of the initial diagnosis of MS is 30 and the disease progress overtime causing a in decline in health and even mortality (Makris et al., 2013). Though it is subjective the average decrease in life expectancy of a patient with MS is 5 to 10 years after the disease is being diagnosed (Keegan and Noseworthy, 2002). Disabilities caused by the disease vary between patients and depend on the abnormalities of the neuronal track that is affected (Leray et al., 2010). Some disabilities include numbness, muscle atrophy and MS is often...

...Idziak
Speech 1311
March 27, 2012
Multiple Sclerosis
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about multiple sclerosis by exploring various facts of the disease including what causes it, types of the disease and how it is treated.
General Purpose: To make people aware of the autoimmune disease.
Introduction
I. Greeting- Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen. It is always a pleasure to stand before such an enthusiastic crowd and to talk about a topic that has affected many of us in one way or another- Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
II. Attention Getter- A saying by Cheryl Peters, “multiple sclerosis affects everyone differently”.
III. Benefits to the Audience- Knowledge of the disease is therefore essential as it may either help you or someone else.
IV. Credibility Statement- I have worked in healthcare for over 13 years. I currently have a client who suffers from multiple sclerosis. I can clearly say it is not a pleasant disease but then again what disease is. My client has had the disease for over 20 years and constantly battles with so many ailments that I will be discussing.
V. Thesis Statement- Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease whose cause is unknown that affects many Americans.
Preview of Main Points-
Aim of the Speech- To explore all the facts of multiple sclerosis as an inflammatory...